Contest television usually shows a set of entertainers and asks the viewing audience to vote for their favorite entertainer. Depending on the system, viewers vote for the entertainer of their choice by calling a telephone number voting via an interactive voice response (IVR) system for the entertainer, or sending an SMS (short message service) to the telephone associated with the entertainer or sending an SMS to a central number with a text associated with the entertainer. The system adds up the votes (SMS's or phone calls) and awards the entertainer who received the most votes.